Improvement in spool show-boxes



R. TRAUTMANN. sPooLsHoW Box.

No. 190,099. Patented Apri1z4,1e77.

IIIHIHIIIIHIIII Witnesses;

N.F\.TES, PHOTG-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D. C.'

RALPH TRAUTMANN, or New YORK,

N. Y.,Ass1eNort 'ro' HIMsELF vAND `drohen J. -Bnowua or SAME PLACE.

IM PRovEM ENT IN spool.V `sHow-Boxss.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 190,099, datedl April24, 1877 application tiled Y March 12,1877. f

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH TRAUTMANN, of New York city, in the county andState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Spool-Cotton Box, ofwhich the following is a specii fication:

This invention has for its object to produce a box for economically andproperly packing a series of spools `containing cotton or other threador yarn; and consists, first, in forming the box with inwardly-projecting ledges, which contract the opening` and serve to holdthe spools in place without preventing their convenient removal;secondly, in combining, with a box having semi-cylindrical front andback, a lid which has a curved lap that extends downward to partlyoverlap the lower part of the curved front; and, thirdly, in applying acatch to the lower part of such curved lid, all as hereinafter moreclearly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents atop view of myimprovedspool-cotton box, showingits lid thrown open. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection of the box on the plane of the line c c, Fig. l. Fig. 3 isacross-section of the same on the plane of the line la la, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spondin g parts in all thefigures.

The letter A represents the body of the boxj B, its lid or cover. Thebox is intended to hold twelve spools, C C, of equal size, preferably inthree rows, four spools in each row, as indicated in Fig. l. The bodyot' the box is of a height equaling in its interior the diameter of thespools of an inner length equaling the length of four spools, and threetimes as wide as it is high. Its front a and back b are ofsemi-cylindrical form, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, to t the outer rowsof spools C, and avoid waste of material in the box and hold the spoolssnugly in place. The box has an opening, d, on top for the insertionandremoval of the spools, but this opening is contracted lengthwise byoverhanging ledges ee, which project inwardly from the ends f f of thebox. As to width, the opening is also less extensive than the full widthof the box, owing to the rounded form ofthe back and front of the box.vThus it is that when the box is lled all but two of the twelve spoolswill be partly covered by the body of the box, as the three spools ateach end of the box are partly beneath the ledges e c, and the fourspools in front and the four at the back partly covered by the upwardcurves of the front a and back b, all as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 andin the other ligures.

By thus confining the spools beneath the ledges e and parts ab, they areproperly retained within the box, and notas liable to roll out, even ifthe lid be opened and the box tilted, the two uncovered spools beingretained sufficiently by the frctional contact with the six spoolsadjoining them. The lid B is jointed at g to the upper edge of the backb, and has a curved front lap, h, in front for lapping over and beyondthe middle of the front a. A suitable catch, t', applied to the front abeneath the middle of its height, may be used to lock the lid in mannerindicated in Fig. 3. By placing the catchi under the middle of the frontit is prevented from projecting into contact with a box that may beplaced close to the box described, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.3, andIthus have a box which can be closely packed with other boxes, andwithout danger of injuring one another by any pro-1 jecting parts of thecatches thereon.

The body of the lid B is depressed in line with the opening d to form adown wardly-projecting part, j, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 8. Thisdepressed part j enters between the ledges e c, and between the edges ofthe front a and back b, coming into close contact with said edges andledges. as shown, and produces thus a joint suflciently tight to preventdust from reaching the spools when the lid is closed. Spool-cotton hasheretofore been packed by the dozen spools in paper wrappers, which theretail dealer had to tear in case he wished to expose the contents forinspect-ion, or for selling a few of the spools. The. spools remainingin the torn wrapper were thereupon freely exposed to dust and injury,and the wrapper presented, moreover, an unsightly appearance. But myimproved box can be freely opened to allow the inspection or partialremoval of its con tents, and will, when reclosed, properly protect theremaining contents, and never change its shape. The box may be made ofsemi-cylindrical front and back, With the lid B, having the curved frontlap h, substantially as Aherein shown and described.

3. The combination of the box A,havng semi-cylindrical front and back,with thel lid B having curved 'front lap h, and With the catch 11, whichis attached to thelower part of the curved front, substantially asherein shown and described.

The foregoing description' of my invention signed by methis 2d day ofMarch, 1877.

RALPH TRAUTMANN.

y Witnesses: Y Y

ERNEST C. WEBB, F; v. BBrEsEN.

